Traps for catching animals live or dead are well known in the art. For fur-trapping purposes, the prior-art jaw or "leg trap" is well known. Such traps comprise a pair of jaws tied together with a spring and triggered by an animal stepping on the trap. Once the animal steps on the trap, the jaws spring together, clamping on the animal's leg. The trap may be tied or chained to a fixed object so that the animal remains with the trap until such a time as the person setting the trap returns.
Such traps, however, as crude, ineffective, inhumane, and not very discriminating. Animal rights groups have decried such traps as cruel, as the animal is left tied to the trap for an extended period of time, in great pain (usually due to broken leg or the like) and left to slowly bleed to death. While trapped in such a trap, an animal may thrash about, damaging the fur pelt which the trapper desires. In addition, animals have been known to go so far as to chew off their own legs to escape such traps. Such traps are indiscriminate, trapping family pets (cats and dogs) as well as other undesired species (e.g., porcupines, skunks, and the like). Once killed by such a trap, an animal may be eaten by scavenger animals (e.g., wolves, vultures, or the like) damaging the valuable fur pelt.
Live animal traps, such as the well-known "Hav-A-Heart" trap are also well known in the art. Such trap generally comprise a cage-like structure with one or more hinged or sliding doors provided at one or both ends. Nastas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,210, issued Apr. 6, 1993, discloses one such trap. The animal is typically baited into the trap by a bait (e.g., food or the like). A trigger mechanism closes a door behind the animal once the animal is inside the cage, trapping the animal. While such live animal traps are useful to catching animals live (e.g., for relocation or the like) they may be inappropriate for fur trapping or rodent pest trapping. In particular, a trapped mink or the like may damage its valuable pelt while contained in such a cage trap.
Other traps have attempted to utilize enclosures to contain an animal while providing a killing or trapping mechanism within the enclosure. Combs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,373, issued Aug. 22, 1989, discloses a trap having an enclosure with a plate 14 which may be rearranged to allow animals of a selected size to enter. A capture plunger 18, when triggered, closes off entrances to the trap. A lethal plunger 17 is provided with sharpened points for apparently injuring the animal. One disadvantage of the Combs traps is that there does not appear to be any mechanism for positioning the animal such that a lethal blow is delivered with accuracy. Moreover, the numerous points of lethal plunger 17 may damage valuable pelts.
Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide a trap for catching and possibly killing an animal humanely and accurately, while minimizing trapping of non-target animals such as household pets and the like and minimizing damage to fur pelts.
In addition, in many animal traps used in fur trapping, it may be difficult to determine whether the trap has been sprung without closely inspecting the trap. Even from several feet away, a human may leave a scent in a trap area, discouraging target animals from approaching the trap. Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide a trap whose triggered status may be readily determined from a distance.